SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The recent explosion of interest in language identity research (LIR) is traceable to a major shift in linguistic thought in the second half of the twentieth century, which emphasised the social dimensions of language. Language became conceived primarily as a social phenomenon appropriated by humans while negotiating social relationships. This shift in focus drew attention to language as an instrument for identity construction or negotiation. Since then, interest in LIR has grown exponentially, giving rise to the employment of identity as a construct in a wide range of domains. In light of this, this paper offers a critical review of the major directions in which LIR has burrowed. To achieve this, the paper is organised into three parts. Firstly, a conceptualisation of the slippery term ‘identity’ is undertaken, followed by a critical examination of the nature of the interface between language and identity. The third part overviews the main directions or domains in LIR, with an evaluation of the key studies in each domain, and concludes with a discussion of future directions in the discipline.